Doncaster Rovers injury round-up ahead of trip to Crewe Alexandra plus latest on long-term absentees

John Bostock is Doncaster Rovers’ only fresh fitness doubt as they prepare for the crunch clash with bottom side Crewe Alexandra.
John BostockJohn Bostock
John Bostock

Boss Richie Wellens says the midfielder is struggling due to the amount of game time he has played in recent weeks, and will be monitored for the trip to Gresty Road on Tuesday night.

Bostock had not played a full 90 minutes prior to the defeat at Gillingham but has been on the pitch from start to finish in three of the last four matches.

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“John Bostock is doubtful but it’s more in terms of his output,” Wellens said.

“He’s struggling physically so that’s the only one we’ll potentially look at for Tuesday.

“It will be exactly the same squad as the one we took to Charlton.

“No one has come back and Tommy Rowe has trained the last couple of days so he’s okay.

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“Other than that Joe Dodoo had an ankle problem but he’s okay.”

Rowe made a surprise return off the bench against Charlton at the weekend after suffering a back spasm.

Meanwhile, Wellens expects his longer term absentees to all be available following the next international break.

Rovers are due to host Fleetwood Town on November 13 but the game is expected to be postponed for international call-ups.

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And Wellens is assured that by the time they resume league action on November 20 against Lincoln City that Rovers will have Jon Taylor, Fejiri Okenabirhie, Cameron John and Ben Close available.

“We’re going to try to get them in as quickly as possible without running the risk of them breaking down,” Wellens said. “I want them in as soon as possible.

“I was told Fejiri would be fit for the first day of pre-season, and exactly the same with Jon Taylor, so you can imagine how frustrated I am.

“I was planning with them in my team.

“It’s been a huge pain in the a**e if I’m honest but we’ve had to battle on without them.

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“We’ll get them fit and then we’ll try to get the very best out of them.

“I do believe that Fejiri and Jon, they’re experienced players and they know exactly what is coming.

“Week in, week out in this division with the set up, they know exactly what is coming.

“We’ve got players in this team that are experiencing things for the first time.”

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Taylor made his first appearance of the season off the bench in the defeat to Wycombe Wanderers last month but suffered a setback with the ankle injury that kept him out since March.

Wellens is confident the 29-year-old will be fully up to speed by the time Lincoln come to town.

“I’d be more concerned about Fejiri breaking down than Jon,” he said.

“Jon Taylor’s work on the grass is not bad at the moment.”

Okenabirhie has yet to feature for Rovers this season due to a catalogue of injuries while John has been out since the end of August with a back problem.

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The centre half is due to see a specialist for a second opinion on the injury in the coming days.

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